Just an introduction

[Eptima]

Hello all, just a quick introduction from me before I go hunt down the right forum/thread to post my actual questions in!

I'm new to the forum but not new to Crohns - diagnosed 19 years ago (can't believe it's been that long). I got a diagnosis, confirmed by colonoscopy, about a week after first symptom onset - followed by an 11 week hospital stay. I'm fortunate in that when I'm well, you wouldn't notice I have Crohns, but the flip side is that I can get very unwell very quickly and I don't respond well to steroids. After some years of cyclosporine and methotrexate I joined a trial for adalimumab, but failed to maintain a response. I was well on just azathioprine for about nine years, and have been in remission on azathioprine and infliximab since January 2013.

Along the way I've had many surgeries for perianal accesses, a brain abscess, and a mild dose of chronic fatigue syndrome. So I'm basically a bit dinged up but pretty functional, all things considered.

 

[David]

Welcome to the community!

A brain abscess!? Wow. Was that attributed to the Crohn's?

 

[Eptima]

Well, it was caused by a gut bacteria so possibly linked somehow, but my specialist thought it was just bad luck.

 

[David]

Bad luck indeed Have you had any lasting effects from it? How did they treat it?

 

[Eptima]

Two rounds of surgery to drain and a course of IV antibiotics - I could have them at home, fortunately. No ongoing loss of function, but sensation is a bit messed up on my left side. I have to remember not to test temperature with that hand, because I might not realise how hot things are! The biggest hassle was not being able to drive for a year, that was a pain.